1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheet bundle binding processing apparatus which performs a binding process on sheets fed from an image forming apparatus or the like after stacking the sheets into a bundle shape, and relates to improvement of a binding process mechanism which performs a binding process on sequentially-fed sheets and a binding process on a sheet bundle set from the outside.
2. Description of Related Arts
In general, as a post-processing apparatus, there has been widely known an apparatus which performs a binding process with a stapling unit after stacking, on a processing tray, sheets fed from an image forming apparatus and stores the sheets on a stack tray at the downstream side. In a structure thereof, a sheet introducing path is connected to a sheet discharging port of an image forming apparatus, image-formed sheets are collated and stacked on the processing tray arranged at the sheet discharging port, a binding process is performed on the sheets with the binding processing unit arranged at the processing tray, and then, the sheets are stored in a stack tray arranged at the downstream side.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2005-096392 (FIG. 2) discloses a post-processing apparatus having a binding processing function located at the downstream side of an image forming apparatus. Here, sheets fed from the image forming apparatus are collated and stacked on a processing tray and a binding process is performed thereon, and then, the sheets are stored in a stack tray at the downstream side. Further, an inserter apparatus is arranged between the image forming apparatus and the post-processing apparatus to serve an inserter function of mixing and binding a front sheet inserted thereto. Here, there is disclosed a manual binding processing mechanism to perform a binding process as setting a sheet bundle from the outside to a manual setting portion which is arranged at an external casing of the inserter apparatus.
Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-058756 (FIG. 11) discloses an apparatus which is connected to a sheet discharging port of an image forming apparatus as a unit. Here, discharged image-formed sheets are stacked on a processing tray and staple-bound, and then, are conveyed to a stack tray at the downstream side. Further, there is disclosed a structure that a staple cartridge is inserted to a staple unit at the inside of an external casing through an open-close cover portion which is arranged at the external casing.
Thus, the staple unit is designed to accommodate staples as a cartridge and to facilitate replenishment of staples.